The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) yesterday (July 21) revealed that it is developing a new policy on its use of “disqualification powers”.
The regulator has powers to “disqualify pharmacy owners” under the Medicines Act 1968 and these were “extended” in March 2018, it set out.
This means that its fitness-to-practise (FtP) committee can disqualify contractors from owning pharmacies in the future and remove premises attached to these individuals from its register, it said.
Read more: GPhC approves one-year 6% fee hike but pauses 2026 rise
However, it added that while it has opened a “small number” of disqualification cases since 2018, it does not currently have an “overarching policy” on its use of these powers.
“We have recognised the need to develop a policy to support our teams investigating these cases and decision-makers dealing with these cases,” the GPhC said.
“Not in the public interest”
The regulator said that it has “reviewed” all its open disqualification cases and is “taking steps to progress” them.
But it revealed that it will close certain open cases because it is not “in the public interest to progress them”.
“We have identified a limited number of cases where, since the disqualification cases were opened, the pharmacy owners have removed all of their associated premises from the register,” the GPhC said.
Read more: GPhC to pilot ‘independent complaint handling service’
While the lack of registered premises attached to an owner “does not prevent” the regulator from taking action against the individual, it has “taken the view that it would not be in the public interest to progress these cases to a full disqualification hearing”, it added.
This is because there is “no current risk to the public” and the hearings would require “significant resource” even though a disqualification finding would not lead to any premises being removed from the register, it said.
Read more: GPhC to be given power to decide FtP cases without hearing
“We do not consider this would be a proportionate use of resources,” the GPhC added.
And it said that the information it holds on the pharmacy owners - including “the involvement of individual directors” - can be “taken account of” in its registration decisions and “support a refusal to allow these entities to register as pharmacy owners”.
Case closed
The regulator said that it will “invite” its FtP committee to close these cases and “take steps” to bring them “to a resolution” while it develops a full disqualification policy.
“By taking this approach, we can still achieve our over-arching objective of protecting the public without holding full disqualification hearings,” it said, adding that it believes this “meets the principles of ‘right-touch regulation’ promoted by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA)”.
Read more: GPhC proposes ‘strengthening’ pharmacy tech qualifications
The GPhC revealed in 2021 that it four professionals connected with online pharmacies had pending disqualification hearings.
It comes as the regulator last week announced that it will increase registration fees by 6% in 2025 but “reflect further” before deciding on an increase for next year.
And it revealed that it will pilot an “independent complaint handling services” to divert “low level” registrant concerns to a “more appropriate service”.
